THE SENSATIONAL TRIUMPH OF A SLEEPING DOG & HIS FELINE 'N' HUMAN TEAM IN HOUSTON

[EDITION OF SEPTEMBER 9-10, 2017: I’ve never met this sleeping dog but I love writing about his triumph. Because, once upon a recent time....] Sawyer the Dog (with that one shiny tooth on the left) and his buddy, Oliver the Cat, are clearly prime examples of the theme of our weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Their human is Kim Desell of Houston and their “grandmother” is our longtime Big D pal Cathie Desell, the cat admirer who, also, is an admirer of Sawyer! Yes, she just might have forwarded a photo or two of Sawyer that Kim had not sent.For example, Sawyer with a plate. Kim sent Mom a note that read, “So, last night at 11, Sawyer brings his plate to the living room and does this. OMG, he is a mess.” And Cathie explains, “Clearly he is trying to tell her he does not want a Princess plate, he wants a Prince plate.”The cat in these photos is Oliver -- notice the facial embrace in that photo above! “He was dumped at CVS and thankfully I found him,” Kim says. That was two years ago, before Sawyer showed up as a “foster” Kim was taking care for Red Collar Rescue. You see other photos here. The kind of photos taken by somebody who just absolutely loves a dog. There’s Sawyer in a University of Texas Longhorn cap. Why? Kim explains, “Sawyer was refusing to outside to potty when it rained during Harvey, so I improvised and gave him a pretend rain hat.” He and Oliver and Kim didn’t have the big problems with Hurricane Harvey that others in Houston experienced, but it wasn’t pleasant and it wasn’t easy. Kim said, “I am so grateful to be home and safe with no major flood damage. Some of my friends lost their homes and were rescued by the Coast Guard and taken to a shelter overnight. As you can imagine, there are many sad stories like theirs.” Throughout the storm, Sawyer was secure. He and Oliver bunked together off and on. But the thing to remember is humans made sure this dog had a place where he could feel comfortable sleeping. He is a sleeping dog everyone was more than happy to let lie because he deserved getting to feel safe enough to sleep. And Oliver, the drugstore cat? Happy to be allowed to nap while cuddled with a dog who once made headlines. We first encountered Sawyer’s plight back in mid-April when he was rescued -- our Houston tipster Alexandra Kelsey, sent the note about a dog who was “too sick to run away.”[That photo on the right is from his early days at Kim's. He'd already been through an incredible amount of medical care and time in canine ICU. His future was looking better.] This is the headline on the Houston report and that’s the first photo distributed. Sawyer was found unable to get up and run away from any human after he was dumped outside a store in northern Houston in April. He had a list of medical ailments that prompted a veterinarian to say, “We’re doing all we can for him -- we just don’t know if it will be enough.” Starved, diseased, intestinal blockage and carrying a bullet after being shot. You can’t really say he was “neglected,” because whoever had him didn’t neglect an opportunity to punish or torture him. Red Collar Rescue’s message read, “We refuse to let his abusers win, and will be with Sawyer every step of the way.” He pulled through. It wasn’t easy. Red Collar Rescue, determined veterinarians, prayers from strangers and tender and understanding care from foster Kim have given a formerly real sick dog the status of one happy, good pup! As you can see, sometimes Sawyer ventures outside with his pals Oliver and Austin -- "the Three Musketeers," Kim calls 'em. And, yes, Kim has given him a home where he can nod off with confidence that he’ll be loved when he wakes. And isn’t that what all animals deserve! There has been so much human and animal trauma in Houston and other areas in the past two weeks that readlarrypowell.com was moved to present a follow-up story about Sawyer who once was capturing headlines as just about the only animal enduring horror in Houston. Sawyer’s survival and the fact that humans teamed up to save him, gives us clear indication that even before Harvey came along, there were good hearts teaming up to help victims. Besides, Texans have always been notoriously generous with their hearts. We have a sort of attitude that says “Bless the beasts and children and anybody else who needs a decent break.”In the case of Sawyer and Oliver, we have a clear demonstration of how a human’s heart can give animals a place where they are so secure they can sleep upside down or wrapped in each others’ “space” on a couch. You can see the first Houston story of Sawyer HERE. But after you watch it, be sure to watch this simple video of Sawyer, the dog once too sick to run away, at play. It has a le cellphone cinema verite ending with a “freeze frame” of a happy, healthy dog. And that is a picture that is worth a zillion words. Bless all the hearts that helped Sawyer become the household treasure he was born to be.

[Send photos of your sleeping family members -- dogs, cats, cousins, in-laws -- and info to dallrp@aol.com. Readlarrypowell.com proudly posts their stories to encourage people to marvel at their companions and, of course, to encourage insomniacs to realize that they, too, can get some sleep. Maybe. Like Sawyer, they'll just have to get a leg up on insomnia or find the right lamb to encourage successful counting of sheep.]--- To comment, grip your PraiseSawyersPeopleMouse and click happily below. ---

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THE SENSATIONAL TRIUMPH OF A SLEEPING DOG & HIS FELINE 'N' HUMAN TEAM IN HOUSTON

[EDITION OF SEPTEMBER 9-10, 2017: I’ve never met this sleeping dog but I love writing about his triumph. Because, once upon a recent time....] Sawyer the Dog (with that one shiny tooth on the left) and his buddy, Oliver the Cat, are clearly prime examples of the theme of our weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Their human is Kim Desell of Houston and their “grandmother” is our longtime Big D pal Cathie Desell, the cat admirer who, also, is an admirer of Sawyer! Yes, she just might have forwarded a photo or two of Sawyer that Kim had not sent.For example, Sawyer with a plate. Kim sent Mom a note that read, “So, last night at 11, Sawyer brings his plate to the living room and does this. OMG, he is a mess.” And Cathie explains, “Clearly he is trying to tell her he does not want a Princess plate, he wants a Prince plate.”The cat in these photos is Oliver -- notice the facial embrace in that photo above! “He was dumped at CVS and thankfully I found him,” Kim says. That was two years ago, before Sawyer showed up as a “foster” Kim was taking care for Red Collar Rescue. You see other photos here. The kind of photos taken by somebody who just absolutely loves a dog. There’s Sawyer in a University of Texas Longhorn cap. Why? Kim explains, “Sawyer was refusing to outside to potty when it rained during Harvey, so I improvised and gave him a pretend rain hat.” He and Oliver and Kim didn’t have the big problems with Hurricane Harvey that others in Houston experienced, but it wasn’t pleasant and it wasn’t easy. Kim said, “I am so grateful to be home and safe with no major flood damage. Some of my friends lost their homes and were rescued by the Coast Guard and taken to a shelter overnight. As you can imagine, there are many sad stories like theirs.” Throughout the storm, Sawyer was secure. He and Oliver bunked together off and on. But the thing to remember is humans made sure this dog had a place where he could feel comfortable sleeping. He is a sleeping dog everyone was more than happy to let lie because he deserved getting to feel safe enough to sleep. And Oliver, the drugstore cat? Happy to be allowed to nap while cuddled with a dog who once made headlines. We first encountered Sawyer’s plight back in mid-April when he was rescued -- our Houston tipster Alexandra Kelsey, sent the note about a dog who was “too sick to run away.”[That photo on the right is from his early days at Kim's. He'd already been through an incredible amount of medical care and time in canine ICU. His future was looking better.] This is the headline on the Houston report and that’s the first photo distributed. Sawyer was found unable to get up and run away from any human after he was dumped outside a store in northern Houston in April. He had a list of medical ailments that prompted a veterinarian to say, “We’re doing all we can for him -- we just don’t know if it will be enough.” Starved, diseased, intestinal blockage and carrying a bullet after being shot. You can’t really say he was “neglected,” because whoever had him didn’t neglect an opportunity to punish or torture him. Red Collar Rescue’s message read, “We refuse to let his abusers win, and will be with Sawyer every step of the way.” He pulled through. It wasn’t easy. Red Collar Rescue, determined veterinarians, prayers from strangers and tender and understanding care from foster Kim have given a formerly real sick dog the status of one happy, good pup! As you can see, sometimes Sawyer ventures outside with his pals Oliver and Austin -- "the Three Musketeers," Kim calls 'em. And, yes, Kim has given him a home where he can nod off with confidence that he’ll be loved when he wakes. And isn’t that what all animals deserve! There has been so much human and animal trauma in Houston and other areas in the past two weeks that readlarrypowell.com was moved to present a follow-up story about Sawyer who once was capturing headlines as just about the only animal enduring horror in Houston. Sawyer’s survival and the fact that humans teamed up to save him, gives us clear indication that even before Harvey came along, there were good hearts teaming up to help victims. Besides, Texans have always been notoriously generous with their hearts. We have a sort of attitude that says “Bless the beasts and children and anybody else who needs a decent break.”In the case of Sawyer and Oliver, we have a clear demonstration of how a human’s heart can give animals a place where they are so secure they can sleep upside down or wrapped in each others’ “space” on a couch. You can see the first Houston story of Sawyer HERE. But after you watch it, be sure to watch this simple video of Sawyer, the dog once too sick to run away, at play. It has a le cellphone cinema verite ending with a “freeze frame” of a happy, healthy dog. And that is a picture that is worth a zillion words. Bless all the hearts that helped Sawyer become the household treasure he was born to be.

[Send photos of your sleeping family members -- dogs, cats, cousins, in-laws -- and info to dallrp@aol.com. Readlarrypowell.com proudly posts their stories to encourage people to marvel at their companions and, of course, to encourage insomniacs to realize that they, too, can get some sleep. Maybe. Like Sawyer, they'll just have to get a leg up on insomnia or find the right lamb to encourage successful counting of sheep.]--- To comment, grip your PraiseSawyersPeopleMouse and click happily below. ---